Heretofore, multi-piece pipette/dropper assemblies have been proposed, wherein the pipette is detachably connected to a bulb which, in turn, is detachably connected to a threaded cap which provides a closure for a container on which the pipette/dropper assembly is mounted. Multi-piece pipette/dropper assemblies have been characterized by certain disadvantages; most notably, the time and expense required to manufacture the assemblies, wherein the components are separately molded and then connected to form the multi-piece pipette/dropper assembly. Also, when in use, the pipette portion can become separated from the bulb and/or cap resulting in leakage of fluid between the cap and the pipette portion.
To overcome the disadvantages experienced with multi-piece pipette/dropper assemblies, the one piece pipette/dropper assembly of the present invention has been devised.
The one-piece pipette/dropper assembly of the present invention comprises, essentially, a pipette portion, a bulb portion, and a threaded cap portion, all molded simultaneously to form a one-piece integral unit. The bulb portion can be open-ended for use as a conventional pipette, wherein the finger or thumb of the user is placed over the open end of the bulb portion, or the bulb portion can be closed for use as a conventional dropper, wherein the user squeezes the bulb.